Born in Chicago and raised in the Bay Area, Jordan Belson trained as a painter before turning his attention to film-making after discovering the abstract films of Oskar Fischinger, Norman McLaren, and Hans Richter. Since 1947, Belson has explored consciousness, transcendence, and light in a visionary body of work that has been called “cosmic cinema”: brimming with vibrant color, mandalas, liquid forms, and mesmerizing rhythms.

From 1957 – 59, Belson collaborated with electronic music pioneer Henry Jacobs on the late-night series Vortex: Experiments in Sound and Light at the San Francisco Planetarium. Setting the scene for the 1960s era of psychedelic light shows, these shows involved projected imagery, specially prepared film excerpts, and other optical projections specifically developed for use on the hemispherical screen. Not just an opportunity to develop new visual technologies and techniques, the sound system in the planetarium enabled Belson and Jacobs to create an immersive environment where imagery could move throughout the entire screen space, and sound could move around the perimeter of the room.

Over the course of six decades, Belson produced a rich body of over 30 abstract films and is considered a central figure in the fields of experimental film and visual music.